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Voice of the Preds Named 2018 Tennessee Sportscaster of the Year
Pete Weber of the Nashville Predators Radio Network
He’s done it again.
For the sixth time in his career, radio play-by-play announcer and Voice of the Predators, Pete Weber, has been named the Tennessee Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Weber shares the 2018 honor with Dawn Davenport of KGFX-FM in Nashville.
Weber, who has been with the Preds franchise since Day One, also received the accolade in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
A native of Galesburg, Illinois, Weber has made stops with the Los Angeles Kings and the Seattle Supersonics. He landed in Buffalo from 1982 to 1998 before the Preds came calling. He has been in Nashville ever since.
Earlier this season, he shared three things you might not know about being the Voice of the Preds, including the first time he ever stepped behind the mic in 1968. All these years later, Weber is still at it, providing the soundtrack to just about every goal in Predators franchise history.
Also joining Weber with NSMA honors is Joe Rexrode of The Tennessean who earned his second-consecutive nod as Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year.
Legendary NHL play-by-play announcer Mike “Doc” Emrick, Bob Ley, Peter King, and Tony Kornheiser were voted into the NSMA Hall of Fame and will be inducted this June.
People feel Earthquake that Hit Bedford County in Coffee County
An earthquake shook an area near Shelbyville Tuesday night around 8:30pm
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit 13 km east of Shelbyville.
The nighttime quake was a 2.8 magnitude. Multiple people reported to the USGS that they felt the quake including people in Tullahoma, Manchester and Winchester.
No reports of damage have been made.
This comes a little over a month after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in Decatur. According to the National Weather Service office in Morristown, the largest earthquake on record in East Tennessee was a magnitude 4.7 near Maryville in 1973.
New Plan to Help Farmers Expand their Markets and Increase Food Safety
Farmers in Coffee County and throughout Tennessee looking to expand their markets and increase food safety by becoming Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified now have the opportunity to receive financial assistance from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA).
GAP certification allows producers to sell directly to more businesses and institutions with stringent food safety requirements, such as grocery stores or hospitals. These new opportunities allow producers to increase their income, and the certification helps to ensure food is safe and wholesome for specialty crops throughout Tennessee.
The application period closes Aug. 31, 2019. Qualified producers will have the opportunity to offset the cost of a GAP Certification inspection by being reimbursed 75% of the inspection cost up to $750.
Funds are available on a first come, first served basis. Grant funds are available to producers only; warehouses and distributors may not apply.
You will find more information and the cost share application by emailing Grant Pulse at grant.pulse@tn.gov.
January is Thyroid Awareness Month: Diagnoses on the Rise
Women are much more likely to develop thyroid disorders than men, although doctors say the reasons are still not well understood. (Cookienanster/Twenty20)
Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, president of the American Thyroid Association, says hypothyroidism is the most common disorder, which means the thyroid – a gland located at the bottom of the neck – produces too few hormones.
And thyroid disorders particularly affect women as they age.
“The vast majority of thyroid disease is in women,” she states. “Hypothyroidism, which is 7 to 8 times more frequent in women than in men.”
A blood test measuring TSH levels determines whether a person has a thyroid disorder.
According to Pearce, hypothyroidism affects 1 percent of the population enough to need thyroid supplements, and another 5 to 10 percent at a sub-clinical level, many of whom don’t need medication.
Pearce notes that thyroid cancer also is on the rise, but it’s usually treatable.
“About 54,000 adults diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the U.S. in 2018, which means about 1 percent of individuals in the U.S. will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in their lifetimes, based on current numbers,” she points out.
Pearce adds one-half of 1 percent of Americans suffer from hyperthyroidism, which means the thyroid gland produces too many hormones.
Pearce says the reasons for thyroid disorders in the U.S. are not well understood. One cause around the world is iodine deficiency, but that hasn’t been a problem in the U.S. for about a century.
However, she says one important group has become more iodine deficient in the last 10 years: pregnant women.
“Specifically for women who are planning pregnancy, or who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding, the current recommendations are that those women should be taking a daily supplement containing 150 micrograms of iodine to make sure they’re getting what they need,” she states.
Some prenatal vitamins have iodine, but some don’t. Pearce also suggests this supplement because iodine deficiency is associated with lower IQ in fetal development.
Thankfully, most thyroid disorders are easily treated with supplements.
More information about thyroid disease is online at thyroid.org.
New Inn, Restaurant and Conference Center being built at Fall Creek Falls State Park
Tennessee State Parks and elected officials broke ground this week for a new inn, restaurant and conference center at Fall Creek Falls State Park, part of a broader $200 million investment in state parks over the last eight years by Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration and the Tennessee General Assembly.
The facility at Fall Creek Falls is part of over $175 million in capital projects appropriated for state parks since 2011.
Fall Creek Falls State Park has seen the renovation of 20 cabins and the refurbishment of an additional 10.
At Fall Creek Falls, the new inn and restaurant are forecast to generate $278,000 per year in sales and occupancy taxes, a growth of $90,000 per year compared to revenue from the previous facility.
1/20/19–Howard Armstrong
A celebration of life for Mr. Howard Armstrong, age 70, of Manchester, TN, will be conducted at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 20, 2019, at First Baptist Church in Manchester with Dr. Cox officiating. Mr. Armstrong passed from this life on Monday, January 7, 2019, at his residence in Manchester.
Howard was born in Coffee Co., to the late A.T. Armstrong and Ezelle Philpott. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Manchester, retired from UPS, and played pool. He won numerous pool tournaments at the Manchester Senior Center. Howard loved watching sports on TV, and he especially loved watching the UT Vols. He loved talking and visiting with his neighbors and was an amazing friend.
In addition to his parents, Howard is also preceded in death by six brothers, George, Vernon, Lillard, Lott, Brown, and Paul Armstrong; two sisters, Velma Brown and Brenda Simmons. He is survived by two sons, Jason Armstrong (Helen) and Jamie Armstrong; two sisters, Barbara Brown (Kenneth) and Irene Tant; grandchildren, Shelby Armstrong, Taylor Armstrong, Hunter Armstrong, Dakota Armstrong, Mona Roshan, Arian Roshan, and Ashley Umbarger; several nieces and nephews.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Armstrong family.
You may sign the online guestbook at www.coffeecountyfuneralchapel.com.
1/26/19–Gary Davon Jernigan
Memorial services for Mr. Gary Davon Jernigan, age 64, of Manchester,
will be conducted at 1:00 PM on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Manchester
Funeral Home. Visitation with the family will be from 11:00 AM until
time of service at the funeral home. Mr. Jernigan passed away at Unity
Medical Center on January 14, 2019.
MANCHESTER FUNERAL HOME IS HONORED TO SERVE THE JERNIGAN FAMILY
Coffee County Sweeps District Doubleheader from Shelbyville on Tuesday
Abby Morgan of CHS basketball
Continuing their longest home stand of the year on Tuesday, the Coffee County CHS basketball teams welcomed Shelbyville to the Patch for a district doubleheader. The Lady Raiders rallied from an 8 point deficit to beat the Eaglettes 57 to 52. The Red Raiders built a double digit lead in the 1st half and fought their way to an 80 to 64 win.
After missing shots at the rim and the free throw line all night, the Lady Raiders found their scoring touch in the 4th quarter. Trailing by 5 points with 5 minutes remaining, Coffee County went on a 10 to 0 run to take the lead and hold on for the win. Abby Morgan had 6 straight points in that stretch to push the Lady Raiders in front by 5 with 1:12 left in the game. Morgan finished with 19 points as she was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Bella Vinson added 17 points and Jacey Vaughn netted 14 as Coffee County improved to 20 and 3 on the season and 6 and 0 in district play.
Kyle Farless of CHS basketball
The Red Raiders got their own 10 to 0 run at the midway point of the first half to take a 9 point lead over Shelbyville with 6:29 to go in the half. Coffee County stretched the lead to 17 at the half and led by as many as 25 in the second half to improve to 13 and 4 on the season and 5 and 1 in district play. Kyle Farless led the Raiders in scoring as he had 22 points to earn the Crazy Daisies player of the game award. Darius Rozier added 16 points and Shawn Anderson chipped in 10.
The Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams will be back at home on Friday as they open the second half of the district season against Lawrence County. Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you live coverage beginning with the Powers Storage Pregame show at 5:50.
Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/
Temple Baptist Christian School Drops Varsity Contest in Jamestown
Cody Swayze of Temple Baptist Christian School basketball
The Temple Baptist Christian School got the 2019 portion of their schedule kicked off on Tuesday night. The Eagles traveled to Jamestown to take on Faith Christian. Temple fell behind early and could never recover in a 54 to 50 loss. The JV Eagles rallied to win by a final score of 28 to 19.
In the varsity game, Faith scored first and never allowed Temple to catch up. With Temple trailing by 1 after 1 quarter, Faith outscored the Eagles 21 to 8 in the 2nd quarter to seize control. A late Temple rally came up short in the loss. Cody Swayze poured in 42 points to pace Temple. Trace Woodard added 6 points and Mich Gloden finished with 2.
In the JV game, Temple rolled out to a 13 to 4 lead after the 1st period and never looked back in the win. Alex Gloden was the top scorer for Temple as he had 16 points. David Tran and Nathan Baker each scored 4 points for the Eagles.
Temple is back at home on Tuesday when they welcome Victory Baptist of Shelbyville to the E.C. Bailey Gym. The varsity game will get underway at 6 PM at Temple Baptist Christian School.
Predators Crush Capitals; Arvidsson Scores Hat Trick
Viktor Arvidsson of the Nashville Predators
For the fifth time this season, Predators fans lost their caps.
Viktor Arvidsson recorded his second-career hat trick and the Nashville Predators scored a season-high seven goals to crush the Washington Capitals by a 7-2 final on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds a clean sweep of their season series against the Caps, outscoring them 13-5 in the process.
In addition to the blowout win over the defending champs, Arvidsson’s effort set a Preds franchise record with five hat tricks in a single season, joining Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons, Calle Jarnkrok and Austin Watson on the ledger.
And on Tuesday, it was another classic showing from Arvidsson.
“He was a big difference-maker tonight,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Arvidsson. “He plays the same way every night, and tonight he was able to chip in three and his line was good. Viktor is a guy that never stops, and he competed from start to finish.”
Not only were the Preds thrilled to be back in their own building after a six-game road trip, but to earn a win of that magnitude, against the defending Stanley Cup champs, well, it meant a little more.
“That road trip was pretty wild, a lot of games, a lot of days and a lot of different cities,” Preds center Ryan Johansen said. “We put that loss in Carolina behind us quick and just focused on tonight. We came out excited to be back in this building and it was a fun night, a lot of good things and a lot of things we can build off.”
“It’s our building, and we haven’t been here for a couple weeks, so we wanted to come out with some energy just like they did to us a couple weeks ago,” Preds forward Rocco Grimaldi said. “They jumped out to a quick lead against us, so we wanted to do the same to them and then keep the pedal to the metal.”
Arvidsson got things started less than four minutes into the contest when he beat Pheonix Copley on a breakaway to give his club a 1-0 lead. At the midway point of the first, Nick Bonino finished off a 2-on-1 with Sissons to hit double-digits on his season goal tally for a 2-0 advantage after 20.
Arvidsson put his club up by three less than two minutes into the second stanza, and after the Capitals cut the lead to two with a power-play marker, the Preds went back to work. First, it was Arvidsson who finished off the hat trick on a shorthanded breakaway, and then Grimaldi added an exclamation point with a spin-o-rama in tight for his fourth of the season.
Before the middle frame was out, Bonino deflected a Mattias Ekholm shot into the twine for his second of the evening while allowing the Nashville defender to attain a career-high with his 36th point of the season.
Calle Jarnkrok joined the party when he scored Nashville’s seventh of the evening, and lost in all of the offense was goaltender Juuse Saros who made 26 saves to collect his 11th win of the season and tie his career-high in victories.
The Predators won’t have much time to celebrate, however, with the Winnipeg Jets knocking on their door for a meeting in Nashville on Thursday night. But, the Preds don’t mind a challenge, especially when the club that has become their most heated rival comes to town.
“We just have to refocus here,” Arvidsson said. “We have a big test coming up, a division game against Winnipeg. They’re the top of our division, so we have to bring our game.”
Hats & Spins:
If Viktor Arvidsson’s hat trick was the entrée, Rocco Grimaldi’s terrific tally was the tiramisu.
Arvidsson had his three before the second period was even out, the second hat trick of his career.
The energy Arvidsson brings to his club is palpable, and as it feeds from the ice to the bench to the home crowd and back down to ice level again, there’s no mistaking the difference when No. 33 is at his best.
“When the rink gets into it – that’s huge,” Bonino. “The fans love chanting ‘Arvi.’ We all love it too, it’s fun to see. He just plays so hard, throws his body on the line every night. You can always get behind guys like that. He scores so often, so it’s fun seeing a smile come down the line. He made some big goals tonight.”
“His relentlessness, his tenaciousness, he’s always on the puck,” Grimaldi said of Arvidsson. “Anytime the puck is on the ice and he’s out there, he seems to be around it somehow, so it’s really fun to watch. He takes his chances and he buries them when he gets it, but he’s a fun player to watch and his work ethic is extremely awesome to watch and be a part of.”
Perhaps Grimaldi himself was inspired by Arvidsson’s brilliance, because less than three minutes after the hats hit the ice, Nashville’s smallest player wracked up a highlight-reel strike of his own.
It started innocently enough in the Nashville end, with Grimaldi breaking up a Washington pass attempt before heading the other way. Going 1-on-1 with a Caps defender, Grimaldi spun from forehand to backhand and sent a puck short side for one of the prettiest goals of the season.
“It was awesome,” Bonino said of Grimaldi’s goal. “It was, first, a great defensive play. He stops, he doesn’t over-back check, he makes a good play on the puck, and then makes a nice move. He catches the goalie before he sets. He’s been playing great. It was really nice.”
Indeed, just about everyone on the Nashville roster had themselves a night, but the two smallest, scrappiest wingers were the ones who left Preds fans hatless – and speechless – when it was all said and done.
“For both of us being smaller guys, we’ve been told we can’t make it our whole lives, and we know that skill is not going be the thing that gets us through, its work ethic,” Grimaldi said of he and Arvidsson. “He’s an extremely hard worker, so I try to be a hard worker as well. I think for both of us to get here, we’ve maybe had to do a little extra than the average person, so it’s good to see guys like him succeed.”
Notes:
Defenseman Yannick Weber returned to the Preds lineup on Tuesday after missing the previous 10 games due to injury.
The Preds have now won six straight over the Caps, scoring at least five goals in four of those victories.
At home, Nashville has won three in a row versus Washington and has points in eight of its last nine meetings (6-1-2).
Nashville’s three-game homestand continues on Thursday night when the Winnipeg Jets come to town before finishing up with the Florida Panthers on Saturday evening.
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report